Former TV Judge Joe Brown arrested in real life: media

[March 25, 2014]   (Reuters) —  Former celebrity Judge Joe Brown got the book thrown at him in court on Monday.

The former host of a reality court television show was arrested and sentenced to five days in jail for throwing a fit in a Memphis, Tennessee, courtroom, ABC reported.

Brown became "pretty raucous" and "challenged the authority" of Shelby County Magistrate Harold Horne, after learning the child-support case he was litigating was not on the docket, a CNN affiliate in Memphis reported.

It was unclear if and when he would serve the five-day sentence.

Court officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for Brown could not immediately be reached for comment.

The 66-year-old spent 15 years arbitrating court cases on his television show "Judge Joe Brown" until it was canceled in May. According to CNN, Brown is running for the Shelby County district attorney post.

Horne held Brown in contempt five times before he left the courtroom, another judge told CNN.

Brown was released on his own recognizance, CNN reported.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; editing by Lisa Shumaker)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.